New Pioneer

scottmoyer · April 3, 2013

I'm looking at getting the new Pioneer AVH X5500BHS double din stereo. I usually stick with the stock head unit, so I am unfamiliar with all of the benefits and capabilities of the aftermarket systems. My reason for removing the stock HU is because it doesn't have MP3 capability, HD radio or iPOD connectivity. I want to cancel XM, but Orlando radio is horrible.

I was told that the cost to connect the factory XM module was more than just buying the new Pioneer SiriusXM module for this stereo. Can anyone confirm this? What benefits will there be with the Pioneer SiriusXM unit that the factory unit doesn't provide?

I plan to install the system myself and hope that I can do a quality install. Has anybody installed this unit into a 1999-2006 truck? Can a normal Joe do this install? Thanks

diggerdan11 · April 3, 2013

I just recently installed a similar unit in my truck this weekend (AVH-X3500BHS). You can NOT connect the factory XM to the Pioneer radio.

You will have to buy this XM receiver for the pioneer radio:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007T0NM2M/ref=oh_details_o08_s00_i02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

You may be able to use the stock XM antenna, but I think there may be an adapter you need to buy, im not sure if the stock antenna cord is the same as an aftermarket one. Since my truck did not come stock with XM i had to run the antenna out the third brake light which is not very difficult.

Installing that headunit is fairly simple if you have any skills. It can be a little more of a pain if you have Onstar. If you dont have onstar it is much simpler. you also have to make sure you have the right wire harness which will depend on if you have bose or not. I have installed many aftermarket stereos and it only took me maybe an hour to install. (but I have owned lots of GM trucks and installed lots of different stereos so i know what im doing)

The biggest problem I ran into was trying to get the mounting bracket to line up correctly. There are a bunch of holes on the side of the unit and lots of holes on the mounting bracket, the trick was picking the right ones that make the stereo fit just right.

If you have any questions let me know.

diggerdan11 · April 3, 2013

I think this might be the adapter you need to use the Stock XM antenna with that aftermarket receiver

http://www.tss-radio.com/oem-fakra-to-aftermarket-smb-adapter-plug.html?gclid=COjI4uuFr7YCFZGiPAodZhQAdw

They also have this one that says its Universal, but I think i would trust the one that says GM a little more.

http://www.tss-radio.com/installation-accessories/vehicle-installation-accessories/antenna-accessories/smb-to-universal-fakra-connector.html

Chris · April 3, 2013

In an 03-06 truck I found there is a bracket for the old stereo that needs to be cut out. I have last years pioneer double din in my 04. I'll post a pic if I still have it.

Sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX using Xparent Red Tapatalk 2

scottmoyer · April 4, 2013

Thanks guys. The adaptor for the XM antenna looks straight forward and a no brainer, but I don't understand why it says the XM antenna isn't as strong as the Sirius antenna. If I currently have an XM module with the XM antenna and all is working fine, is there really a difference in the Sirius XM signal compared to just XM? I thought they were the same now. The new Pioneer module is a Sirius XM module. I would really like to keep the factory antenna that's outside the truck. Here is my parts list so far.

The Pioneer AVH-X5500BHS - $499

SiriusXM SXV200V1 Satellite Radio Tuner - $69

Axxess GMOS 100- $110

XM antenna adaptor - $10

FM Antenna Adaptor - free

Dash install kit - free

Total Cost - $690

All I need to do now is see if I can get a package/better price on this stuff. This is the Crutchfield price. A couple weeks ago when I worked with them on the phone, I was at $620 or $630 but I can't remember what it was and my shopping cart expired. I'll have to call them again. I think there was a $50 rebate on the SiriusXM tuner plus another $20 on something else.

Chris · April 4, 2013

Here, This is the pic of my truck, I added captions to help out another member. The piece has to be cut out for a double din to fit

diggerdan11 · April 4, 2013

Thanks guys. The adaptor for the XM antenna looks straight forward and a no brainer, but I don't understand why it says the XM antenna isn't as strong as the Sirius antenna. If I currently have an XM module with the XM antenna and all is working fine, is there really a difference in the Sirius XM signal compared to just XM? I thought they were the same now. The new Pioneer module is a Sirius XM module. I would really like to keep the factory antenna that's outside the truck. Here is my parts list so far.

The Pioneer AVH-X5500BHS - $499

SiriusXM SXV200V1 Satellite Radio Tuner - $69

Axxess GMOS 100- $110

XM antenna adaptor - $10

FM Antenna Adaptor - free

Dash install kit - free

Total Cost - $690

All I need to do now is see if I can get a package/better price on this stuff. This is the Crutchfield price. A couple weeks ago when I worked with them on the phone, I was at $620 or $630 but I can't remember what it was and my shopping cart expired. I'll have to call them again. I think there was a $50 rebate on the SiriusXM tuner plus another $20 on something else.

Do you have Onstar, Bose, neither? Because that will make a difference in which wire harness you get. Also do you have steering wheel controls? Looks like the Axess GMOS-100 has the steering wheels controls which is pretty nice.

I bought mine off of Amazon and it was pretty cheap. The 5500BHS is $100 cheaper on Amazon compared to Crutchfield, and the Sirius XM SXV200v1 is $25 cheaper. But with amazon you have to buy the install kit and antenna adapter, but thats only about $15 total. Sometimes its nice a pay a little more for crutchfield because they offer support if you need install help

Edit: it looks like the GMOS 100 is only $110 on crutchfield when you order a stereo from them, so that looks like a better deal then amazon. Cheapest I could find on amazon was still like $200

diggerdan11 · April 4, 2013

Here, This is the pic of my truck, I added captions to help out another member. The piece has to be cut out for a double din to fit

I was able to get mine to fit in my SS without cutting anything, but I also removed the dash in order to get all the wires out of the way.

With the one i just installed in my 1500HD i did do a little cutting. That little pillar in the back you have marked. There are two parts to it, the top part is metal and the bottom is plastic. The bottom part sticks out a bit more and I cut that part off and did nothing to the metal part, and everything fit fine.

The only issue i had with the install was the mounting kit. There is a trim piece that goes around the stereo and for some reason I was not able to get it to fit. If I adjusted the mounting bracket so that trim worked, then it would not fit properly in the dash. So I just left it, and I actually mounted my stereo so that it sticks out a little more than the stock one would.

Chris · April 4, 2013

Mine had to be cut for the AVH-P4400UB I installed in June. It sticks out further than stock

scottmoyer · June 13, 2013

Well, I got the stereo installed. I did buy from Crutchfield and have had nothing but trouble with the GMOS100. It was replaced once already and I'm having issues with the second one.

Like Diggerdan mentioned, that bracket in the back is metal on my truck and is the center support for the dash. I did have to cut out some plastic in the bottom corners and some more just below the bracket, but I was able to get the stero in flush. I installed the mounting kit flush with the face of the stereo and manipulated the wiring in the back to get it to fit. It looks much better flush mounted.

Crutchfield offered to replace the GMOS 100 with a GMOS 04 and some other wiring, but they said I would lose the factory XM connection and also the rear seat entertainment. Any other advice? The problems I'm having with the second GMOS 100 is no door/lock chimes, the steering wheel mute button doesn't work and I am not getting XM to display on the DIC as they advertise. I did not buy the SXV200V1 since my goal was to eliminate the XM programming when my contract is up anyway.

stagrlee · August 8, 2013

Looks like the GMOS-100 is listed as NLA! http://www.metraonline.com/part/GMOS-100. Maybe the GMOS-014 is the replacement.

Are these interfaces compatible with the Bose setup?

How is it sounding in your truck. The speakers (even in the Bose config) are not that great. Did you upgrade the speakers?

Chris · August 8, 2013

I did. I put in Polk DXi-6500's up front and Polk DXi-460p's in the back

scottmoyer · August 26, 2013

"How is it sounding in your truck. The speakers (even in the Bose config) are not that great. Did you upgrade the speakers?"

I just got off the phone with Crutchfield regarding the sound. I did replace the GMOS100 with the GMOS04 and it works much better. My door chimes for delayed lock don't work all the time, but everything else is working as it should. I do have two issues regarding sound that have me wondering what my next steps are.

1. I noticed the sound quality is degraded on the same channel when I switch from Analog to Digital. The analog signal sounds pretty good but when I switch to digital, the sound is muffled. The description I gave Crutchfield was like turning on noise reduction on a cassette tape. I was told the sound should be CD quality. I lose the highs, bass gets muffled and the volume drops. Adjusting the eq shouldn't need to be done when switching from analog to digital.

2. The second thing I told Crutchfield was that my factory stereo sounded much better and cleaner than this Pioneer. I asked if it was because of the GMOS system between the stereo and the speakers. I have not been able to get the sound anywhere near as good as the factory Bose sounded. Crutchfield suggested that I turn up the gain control on the GMOS04 and see if improves the sound.

Has anybody else installed a newer Pioneer, left the factory speakers in place and had improved sound? Again, my factory Bose sounded great, but was limited in it's abilities to play MP3s, DVDs, etc.

DontTaseMeBro · September 27, 2013

I'm curious how your install is doing and if you had the rear seat entertainment system. I am trying to install a Pioneer AVH-X3500BHS in my 2005 Silverado with On-Star, Bose, and rear seat entertainment system and so far has been a nightmare. The first AX-ADGM100 wouldn't power my passenger front speaker and the second powered it but acted like a loose connection. I narrowed both issues down to the harness and the ADGM 100 box. On top of that, I also did not have steering wheel controls or rear seat entertainment which I told Crutchfield I wanted to maintain. They are sending me one more harness to try and an additional harness they had not sent me previously for the steering wheel interface. I told them if this doesn't work I'm sending their stuff back and just go back to the stock stereo, as crappy as it is. Any light you can shed on your install would be much appreciated. I'm really stumped on the rear seat entertainment system. This harness provided no power at all to it so I doubt that the one they are sending me will be any improvement.

Thanks,

Eric

scottmoyer · September 27, 2013

Eric,

It's ironic that you asked me about this today. I was on the phone with Crutchfield again about the audio issue I have with what sounds like extreme noise reduction. That's when I saw your email. The tech support person that I was talking to said that I am outside the 60 day or 90 Crutchfield policy, but since I have had so many issues, he was willing to let me return the entire system. Excellent customer support!

The older GMOS100 allowed you to keep the steering wheel controls and also the rear seat entertainment system. The GMOS04 loses the rear seat entertainment and requires an additional wiring harness for the steering wheel controls. My steering wheel controls work, but my rear entertainment is disabled. The only issue I have with the GMOS04 is when I hit the mute button on the steering wheel, sound volume is drastically lowered, but not muted. The only time the system mutes is when I hit the mute button on the head unit itself.

I have to say that I'm disappointed in this whole setup. The audio issues may be the head unit, or they could be the GMOS unit interface. I'm thinking Head Unit because so many people rave about how good the audio quality is with their Pioneer, so mine must be a dud. The fact that we can't just plug a wiring harness from the stereo to the truck harness is a mess that these auto manufacturers are creating with all of the computer crap. What was wrong with that $20 dinger under the dash to let you know you left your lights on? Now it's all tied into computers through the stereo, etc. What a pain.